Handy tips that will help you be successful in your dieting and achieve a healthier all-around lifestyle.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

How To Lose 30 Lbs In 30 Days !

Losing 30lbs in 30 days seems excessive, especially since mostexperts suggest losing only 1 to 2lbs per week. But before youdismiss this concept as another fad diet or torturous workoutprogram, please hear me out.

This article contains advanced strategies to lose weight fast.These are the strategies used by bodybuilders and fitnesscompetitors during their competition preparation, especiallywhen they need to lose the last few stubborn kilos ofhard-to-shift body fat. These strategies help bodybuildersreduce their body fat percentage into the low single digits;just imagine what they could do for you if you have more than afew kilos to lose!

These strategies aren't difficult either but they do requirediscipline and a commitment of time and effort. If you'rewilling to commit to these principles for 30 days you will berewarded with a dramatic loss of weight. After the 30 days isover you can still maintain the weight you lose without havingto maintain the principles exactly. However, you can't expect togo back to your previous lifestyle habits and not expect theweight to pile back on. In order to maintain the weight loss, orbetter yet, continue it, you must maintain similar habits thathelped you achieve the results in the first place. You don'tneed to be as strict as you were during the 30-day period butmaintaining the habits is essential in achieving permanentresults.

If you seriously want to lose more than 30lbs in 30 days thenyou must perform all of the principles exactly as recommended.If you want extraordinary results, then you must be willing toput in an extraordinary effort!

I realise that some people may be thinking, `But it isimpossible to lose more than 30lbs of fat in a month!' I agree-it is! However, the truth is, it is impossible to only lose faton any type of weight-loss program. You will always lose acombination of fat, water, stored carbohydrate and some muscle.

Anyway, let's move on to the strategies. Remember, it isabsolutely essential that you perform every one exactly as isoutlined. It is only for 30 days so give it everything you'vegot!

1. Perform 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise morning and night.

Yes, you read that correctly, morning and night- 2 sessions aday every day! No excuses. We're all busy, we all feel tiredsome mornings, but if you're serious about getting amazingresults, then you must be willing to do everything necessary.

When we talk about aerobic exercise, we're talking aboutexercise! Not walking around the shops, doing the gardening ordoing housework. It must be exercise, which means your breathingrate increases, your face goes red, you sweat, you get tired-simple!

There are several very effective thermogenic supplements on themarket that can accelerate your progress towards your goal.Those containing caffeine, green tea extracts and an extractfrom a plant called coleus forskohlii are the most effective.They will boost your metabolism and promote the release of fatfrom the fat stores. `XLR8' by BCN is a good example.

Unfortunately though, thermogenics are not `magic pills'. Youcan't expect to take a couple of thermogenic capsules and thengo home and eat pizza and drink alcohol and expect to getresults. Thermogenics only work when their use is combined witha good nutrition and exercise program.

Take 1-2 capsules twice a day; once prior to your morningexercise session and once with your lunch. Don't take them laterthan 4:00pm in the afternoon because they may keep you awake atnight.

Before using thermogenics, see your doctor first and obtaintheir approval.

3. Do not eat anything for 30 minutes after the completion ofany exercise.

As a result of using the thermogenics combined with theexercise, your metabolism will remain elevated for some timeafter the exercise session is finished. This means your bodywill burn fuel at a faster rate than normal.

Any exercise causes the body to use carbohydrate (muscleglycogen and blood glucose) as a fuel source. This means thatafter the exercise is completed the carbohydrate stores in thebody are low and the body will be forced to use fat as its fuel.

If a meal is eaten immediately after the completion of theexercise session, the blood glucose level will rise, inducingthe secretion of insulin from the pancreas. One of the effectsof insulin is to stop fat burning in the body. Therefore, wait30 minutes (but no longer because cortisol will rise) beforehaving your next meal.

4. Perform a weight training workout 2-4 times a week.

Lifting weights is the most under-estimated way to lose fatfast! Now, before you start saying, `But I don't want to get bigmuscles!' or `I don't want to look like a man!', consider thefollowing:

The main purpose of lifting weights when your primary goal isto lose body fat is to preserve the muscle mass you alreadyhave. You see, muscle is the `engine' within which the fat, or`fuel' is burnt and maintaining or even increasing your musclemass slightly will help ensure your body fat is burnt offefficiently.

Incidentally, it only takes two 30 minute sessions a week toobtain the muscle preserving benefits of lifting weights.

5. Have 5-6 small meals a day.

One of the most common strategies people use to lose weight isto skip meals. Whilst reducing food intake is certainly aneffective way to lose weight, having fewer meals is not the wayto go. Many overweight people say, `I don't know why I'moverweight, I only eat once or twice a day!' Unfortunately, thisis exactly why they are overweight.

Having a mild calorie restriction is effective because if youconsume less calories than you burn each day you will loseweight- simple! However, skipping meals forces the body toinvoke its `Starvation Mechanism' because it thinks it isentering a famine. As a result, the body slows the metabolism topreserve energy.

By having a small meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day, yourmetabolism stays elevated and your body will happily burn fatall day long. Unfortunately though, most people are conditionedto having large meals and they automatically assume they willput on weight if they have 5 or 6 meals a day. The fact is, theideal portion sizes for most people are actually quite small andin order to lose weight fast it is essential that you never feelfull from a meal but you do feel satisfied.

Also, most people find it difficult to have a meal every 2-3hours throughout the day because they are so busy with work and/or family commitments. Here are some suggestions to ensure youget your 5 or 6 meals a day.

 Plan and prepare your meals the night before Use meal replacements (protein shakes or bars) Select foods that are quick and easy to prepare and consume

6. Ensure each meal contains protein.

Protein is a component of all cells and makes up over half thedry weight of the human body. Furthermore, the human body is adynamic structure, which means it is constantly building up andbreaking down tissue. If the body breaks down more tissue thanit builds up, then it is said to be in a catabolic state. Thisresults in the metabolism slowing down due to the loss of muscletissue.

Having a portion of high-quality protein every few hoursthroughout the day provides the body with a constant supply ofamino acids- the building blocks of the body. This prevents thecatabolic state, promotes an anabolic state (tissue building)and therefore keeps the metabolism `fired-up'.

If only carbohydrate or fat is consumed for a meal, for examplea piece of fruit (carbohydrate) for the mid-morning meal, thenthe body will still enter a catabolic state because it doesn'thave the building blocks (amino acids) to re-build body tissues.Protein, as its name suggests, is of primary importance.

7. Reduce your intake of high-density carbohydrates.

Most high-density carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice andcereals cause a rapid rise in blood glucose. This invokes therelease of insulin from the pancreas, which in turn stores theglucose. The body stores glucose in the muscles and liver asglycogen and once these sites are full, the remaining glucosegets stored as body fat. Not only this, but insulin also stopsthe body from mobilising and utilising fat for fuel (burningfat).

So if you want to maximise fat loss, you need to keep insulinto a minimum and the best way to do this is by reducing yourintake of starchy carbohydrates without cutting them outaltogether. Cutting them out totally is a philosophy of manylow-carb diets on the market. However, these are very hard tosustain long-term and may lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Each day, have a small amount (1-2 serves) of high densitycarbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, cereals); a moderate amount(2-3 serves) of medium density carbohydrates (starchy vegetablesand fruits); and a large amount (5-6 serves) of low densitycarbohydrates (fibrous vegetables). [For a complete list ofcarbohydrates, see pages 136-138 of the book, `Look good, feelgreat!]

8. Use Glucose Disposal Agents (GDAs).

GDAs are powerful supplements that can help to stabilize yourblood glucose level and reduce sugar cravings. They work byincreasing the uptake of nutrients into cells and also byincreasing the insulin sensitivity of cell membranes. What thismeans is that insulin will also be reduced, which makes iteasier for your body to access and burn fat as a fuel.

Since you are expecting an extraordinary result, it isessential that you put in an extraordinary effort. Accordingly,for the next 30 days you must follow the plan exactly as it isoutlined without deviating. This means you can't allow yourselfto indulge in any `forbidden foods'. This also means avoidingalcohol for the entire 30-day period. I know this may be hardfor some people but let's face it, it is only for 30 days!

In `Look good, feel great!' we do allow a `Treat Day' once aweek, where you can have any food at all for one or two mealsbut that principle is useful for long-term maintenance. Since wewant to achieve maximum results in minimum time, you will needto be as strict as possible and therefore avoid `any forbiddenfoods' for the entire period.

By committing to the plan and disciplining yourself to see itthrough, you are ensuring that the results will follow. Plus,the disciplines you create to help you achieve your physicalgoal will have a `carry-over benefit' to other areas of yourlife as well.

I wish you the greatest success in achieving outstandingresults!

About The Author: Stephen is the author of `Look Good, FeelGreat!' for more free articles and information about his book,please visit: http://www.fatburningsite.com Stephen has been inthe fitness industry for over 16 years. He conducts seminars andwrites articles for various magazines throughout Australia.

1 comment:

A good article overall. I would have liked to see a mention to the importance of water in weight loss. Proper hydration (6-8 glasses) aids in liver function, electrolyte balance and waste elimination. Also...Do not forget a good nights sleep.